RAPID-LITE Xtreme Electric Charcoal Starter

It really works well. No matches or lighter fluid used and the coals really heated up. A great invention!

This is an excellent fire starter for everyday grilling. I have a 22 inch Weber kettle grill, and I always used a Weber chimney to light the charlcoal for it, but I could never fit quite enough charcoal in it to get a lot of heat. Besides,the chimney always burnt my fingers, unless I put thick gloves on. This electric device is a game changer - it lights a full load of charcoal directly inside the grill in mere 20 minutes, eliminating the need to juggle a glowing-hot chimney and get my fingers burnt. The only modification I made is that I wrapped some aluminium foil around the plastic handle to increase its longevity, because I like my grill really HOT and I use a lot of charcoal at once - it puts a great sear on your steaks. Thanks to this device, I reconsidered buying a kamado-style grill ($1200 and up), because now I can get all the heat I need for my grilling from a simple kettle grill. There is no way this purchase could be a better value.

I've been using an electric charcoal lighter for a few years and prefer them over other means of starting charcoal. I have an "egg" style grill that has a door for use with electric charcoal starters. This product is too wide and doesn't fit through the door. I used it from the top and now prefer to use it this way. I didn't have an issue with the handle melting or even getting hot. The handle sits above the coal bowl and not exposed to too much heat. I place a layer of coals on the bottom and then make a mound to cover the elements on the top. In about 10 minutes, the coals are hot enough to take the starter out and let the coals get hotter on their own. Good product and customer support .

First, the pictures don't do this device justice. It is big, meaning it covers a ton of charcoal. Just follow the directions: I place it on top of a layer of charcoal, stack additional charcoal, then plug it in. These photos span a total of ten minutes from plugging the starter in to lit coals. No more fuel-based fire starters, messy chimney starters, or worst of all lighting fluid. This thing is fantastic, highly recommend.

Bigger than I imagined but works well in my Big Breen Egg. I had to laugh at the "warmth" rating. Not warm, very hot! Keep away from kids and pets!

I have had several electric lighters fir my charcoal grill. This is by far the best!!! Gets the Vishal going quickly...and the handle doesn’t melt when exposed to high temps. Great tool to start charcoal fires!!

I bought this earlier this year to replace a much older and reliable one that I'd had for 10 years that finally gave up on me. I thought this one was going to be a great replacement, and at first, it was. The element on this thing is HUGE, which I really liked.The first time I used it, I didn't notice any real saved time from the higher watts - seemed to take as long as the old one from before. The bigger area of the element did do a great job of starting a greater number of coals, so that was a plus. I was generally happy with my purchase until..............The second time I used it, the plastic handle started melting before the coals even started to catch. I had to unplug it immediately or else there would have been nothing left of the handle at all.I emailed the seller about the issue and waited for a response. And waited. And waited. I emailed them again, asking for either a replacement or a refund. They finally resoonded and stated that I I sent them my address, they would send me a new one. I sent them my address that very day (July 1st),and have heard anything nor received any replacement. I sent them yet another email a week ago, and still no response. I would be VERY CAUTIOUS about buying ANYTHING from this company - if you have any problems, they won't take care of you or make things right.

Flavor? Why I am asked about the flavor?Anyway, it works very well. It takes about 8-10 minutes for the charcoal to start smoking and then it will catch on fire very fast afterwards. It works as you expect.